How to Heal Sore Muscles
After a day of yard work, an hour of working out, or a few minutes playing in the park, you may encounter some muscle soreness. You can help the muscle begin to heal at home by following the below basic steps.
Instructions
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Locate the muscle that hurts with your hand. Oftentimes, the area around the muscle may also be inflamed, which can lead to stiffness and overall swelling. Gently rub the area in soft, circular motions to help ease the surrounding muscles.
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Stretch the sore area gently. Stretching will stop muscle cramping and also stop the muscle from stiffening up.If you are having sharp, shooting pains when stretching, stop immediately. Your muscle needs to rest and repair.
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Ice it. Wrap a towel around an icepack and apply to the sore area for up to 60 minutes. This will help ease any swelling. After the first 60 minutes, take 20 minute breaks on icing to monitor the swelling.
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Wrap an ace bandage around the affected muscle group if you have noticeable swelling around the area after icing. This will decrease circulation and help the swelling go down.
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Drink water. Water will help flush toxins from your system and rehydrate muscles. Also, you can take ibuprofen as directed to ease pain.
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Begin heat therapy if your muscles are still sore 24 hours after the injury. Use a heating pad on the affected area to help blood circulate through the muscle group. It is important that you do not apply heat to the area immediately, however, as it can increase swelling.
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Rest. Sore muscles mean that the muscle is still recovering from the activity. Keep the muscle well rested so that it can fully recover.
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Tips & Warnings
Stretch before any activity to reduce sore muscles.
15 minutes of light cardio at the end of any workout helps decrease the chance of muscle soreness.
If you think you have torn or severely strained a muscle, you should go to the doctor immediately. Some signs of this are pain, excessive swelling, bruising and inability to use muscle group at all.
